News in October

Downing Street recognition for Parkinson's researcher
31 October 2017Dr Emily Henderson, a University of Bristol Honorary Consultant Senior Lecturer, and Consultant at the Royal United Hospitals in Bath, met the Prime Minister Theresa May at a Downing Street reception yesterday [30 October] in recognition of her research into Parkinson's, and to mark the 200-year anniversary since James Parkinson first described the condition.

The advent of “green” cattle30 October 2017Implications of livestock farming on climate change should not be drawn from aggregate statistics, reveals a study based on a new method of carbon footprinting for pasture-based cattle production systems that can assess the impacts of individual animals.

Centralised care needs to be improved to ensure children with cleft lip and palate have best outcomes30 October 2017Around 1,000 children are born with cleft lip and/or palate in the UK each year, with many children requiring long-term multi-disciplinary care. A University of Bristol study, which assessed whether the centralisation of cleft lip and palate care services improved child outcomes, 15 years after centralisation took place, is published. The study found centralisation has improved patient outcomes but highlights more work is needed in some areas.

John Anthony Burrow, 1932 – 201726 October 2017Professor John Burrow, Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the Faculty of Arts, passed away earlier this week. Former colleagues pay tribute to his life and career.

Bristol researchers to explore Mars and its environment26 October 2017Three academics from the University of Bristol will explore Mars and the microgravity environment, thanks to funding from the UK Space Agency in the latest round of the Aurora Science Programme and the Human Spaceflight and Microgravity programme.

How to ensure volunteers fill the holiday hunger gap23 October 2017With up to 3.2 million children facing the prospect of not having enough food to eat during half term, new research has highlighted the importance of volunteers in filling the ‘holiday hunger’ gap.

Bristol named as UK’s smartest city23 October 2017Bristol has overtaken London as the UK’s leading 'smart city' according to the second UK Smart Cities Index, commissioned by Huawei UK and conducted by Navigant Consulting. The report is based on evaluations of 20 cities and their strategies, key projects and overall readiness in using digital technology to improve crucial civic services from transport infrastructure to healthcare.

Key discoveries offer significant hope of reversing antibiotic resistance 23 October 2017Two recent studies led by the University of Bristol provide significant new hope in the fight against antibiotic resistance. By identifying what makes some bacteria resistant to the most commonly prescribed antibiotics, and how this can be reversed, the findings have demonstrated potentially life-saving consequences and could help reverse the tide of antibiotic resistance.

The fortunes and misfortunes of Miss Fanny Fust 20 October 2017Historians and English academics from the University of Bristol have been working with Openstorytellers, a Frome-based charity that supports people with learning difficulties, to research and recreate the story of one of Bristol’s lesser known historical figures.

Lesley Hart, 1965-201720 October 2017Lesley Hart, a Security Officer in the University Security Team (Estates), sadly passed away on 15 October. Simon Ramsden and other colleagues in Security Services offer a tribute.

Bob Walker, 1951–201719 October 2017Bob Walker, the former head of the Systems Research and Computing Team in IT Services, died on 30 May at the age of 66. Former colleagues pay tribute to his career.

BBC and UK universities launch major partnership to unlock potential of data19 October 2017BBC Research and Development has announced a five-year research partnership with eight UK Universities including Bristol to unlock the potential of data in the media. The Data Science Research Partnership will be at the forefront of machine learning in the media industry, helping create a more personal BBC that can inform, educate and entertain in new ways.

Nanoantenna arrays power a new generation of fluorescence-based sensors16 October 2017Researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Bedfordshire, in collaboration with multinational company ABB, have designed and tested a series of plasmonic nanoantenna arrays that could lead to the development of a new generation of ultrasensitive and low-cost fluorescence sensors that could be used to monitor water quality.

The science of seeing differently16 October 2017The truths about the brain and its perceptions will be explored by neuroscientist and founder of Lab of Misfits Studio at a free University of Bristol public lecture next month.

University spin-outs announced as winners of major venture capital initiative 16 October 2017Two University of Bristol spin-out companies, Zeetta Networks and KETS Quantum Security, have been announced as winners of a major venture capital initiative led by BT, the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) and Facebook, which will provide them with access to investors with funds totalling £125 million.

University of Bristol secures funding to grow small businesses13 October 2017The University of Bristol is one of five universities in the south of England to receive a share of £5 million from the government for a project to tackle the challenge of scaling-up small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to innovate and grow.